Mercedes-AMG E 43 2017 Review

Overt, explicit and brash are not adjectives that sit comfortably with the Mercedes-AMG E 43. Unlike the smaller C 63, or V8-engined E 63 that's on the way here, the twin-turbo V6 all-wheel drive sedan is almost a wallflower.

And that's not a bad thing. Look at what you get with this car: power that rivals some V8s, the safety of all-wheel drive, ride/handling balance and all the refinement and comfort of the W213 E-Class – in a car that is more affordable to boot.

For the media drive program, the E 43 was subjected to mainly freeways and country roads in Victoria's Yarra Valley. The engine was responsive but unfussed at lower speeds. It revealed itself as the thoroughbred six it is under load, with a muted howl and impressive acceleration. Some of the noise from the engine is contrived, however.

About the only unacceptable noise in this car was a persistent rattle in the dash, which could be faintly heard on the country roads chosen for the drive program.

In Sport+ mode at 100km/h the engine was spinning away at around 3000rpm, ready to exploit the mid-range output available, but in Sport it was sitting at around 1800rpm and just 1500rpm in Comfort mode. Whatever mode selected the engine was audible in varying degrees, but the E 43 was very well insulated from noise otherwise – particularly road noise on coarse-chip surfaces like those roads selected for the drive.

Over the course of the media drive program, the E 43's trip computer posted figures of 9.5L/100km on the slower, outbound leg of the drive program, and 10.1L/100km for the return journey. Given that much of the program was open-road, but each driver was hounding the car on occasions, that seems like a quite acceptable figure for a large sedan with a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 engine.

In Sport and Sport+ modes the nine-speed automatic transmission barely broke stride manually shifting up to the next gear. It was assertive rather than aggressive when shifting.

Ride comfort with the Airmatic suspension was praiseworthy in a car with this sort of performance potential and cornering ability. Benz has pretty much got the mix right for soaking up imperfections in the road while delivering high levels of grip and tidy handling. And that's irrespective of the suspension mode chosen.

The steering of the E 43 was quite light, even in the sport modes, but it remained communicative and precise. Turn-in was not so fast that it was unsettling. The E 43 responded to steering input with a steady change of direction complemented by the well sorted handling.

I like the E 43's mild-mannered looks. Check it out from the side profile and there's almost nothing in the way of badging or quarter panel vents or side skirts that would give the game away that this is a car not to be dismissed lightly at the track. It's a 'sleeper', in other words.

Yet it's not boring or unlovely.

Inside, the E 43 was comfy, well equipped and very nicely presented. The seats were nicely shaped and straddled that line between supportive and cushy for either touring or high-g cornering.

At the driving position the controls conformed to standard Benz ergonomic practice and were generally easy to use. Unlike the smaller C-Class, the starter button is on the dash to the left of the wheel, not the right. It's a wee bit hard to find first time; its location is right in the smaller car, placed close to the column-mounted gear selector and the parking brake toggle in the dash for one-handed operation when starting or parking.

But every other aspect of the car's interior design was laudable. I loved the instruments and integrated infotainment screen. All information was presented in a stylish way that was also easy to take in at a glance. Eyes skipped over the large expanse of digital read-out, but knowing where everything is or how to find different data was easy for users to extrapolate.

Touch pads on the steering wheel to scroll between different functions took some trial and error to understand and use to the full extent though, but the single-point controller was in its usual place, in the centre console, to find and actuate functions until the driver was more familiar with using the touch pads.

Rear-seat headroom with the sunroof fitted would be marginal for six-footers (180cm tall), but kneeroom was fine for adults. In the boot flip-out levers would drop the rear seats flat for extra luggage capacity, but the seats had to be manually thrust forward; they don't just flop forward without that. Under the boot floor is a tyre compressor and repair kit... no spare at all.

Overall, the E 43 proved itself to be an appealing touring sedan that provides that sort of quiet, relaxed demeanour we've come to expect from Benz, particularly in cars like the S-Class. Yet the E 43 can be hustled along whenever it takes the driver's fancy.

2017 Mercedes-AMG E 43 pricing and specifications:
Price: $159,900 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo-petrol
Output: 295kW/520Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 194g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP)

Related reading:
>> Mercedes-AMG E 43 2016 Review
>> Mercedes-AMG E 43 for Christmas